What is your favourite colour? Is your car finished in the colour that reflects your personality? Nissan recently did a study about the correlation between the colour of a person’s car and their personality, and they say that you should care more about the colour of your car.

Nissan conducted a poll around Europe about car colours and choices, and they found that 86 percent of those who took the poll own a car that is painted in the absolute wrong colour for the kind of personality they have. And they are dead serious about this.

Now, you are probably wondering why Nissan would randomly decide to want to know everyone’s taste in car colours. Well, this study was conducted by them so they could promote the fact that Nissan Micra buyers can customize their new hatchback and choose from a wide array of colours that are available. Currently, customers can pick from 10 different exterior liveries that all stand out - from a bright and alive Energy Orange to an electrifying Pulse Green. And that’s not all they have to offer. Nissan’s personalization program lets customers add more detail to the car with options like contrasting shades to both the exterior and interior parts.

Which vehicle brand is the most appealing among customers in the United States? To answer that, a definite study has to be taken. Good thing is that for around 22 years, J.D. Power has been conducting its own study measuring emotional attachment and level of excitement that owners feel from their own new vehicles.

For this year, J.D. Power conducted the 2017 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. And among the 32 brands that were included in the survey, Porsche was considered as the most appealing. The 2017 APEAL Study measured the answers of nearly 70,000 buyers and lessees of new (2017 model year) vehicles surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The survey – conducted from February through May 2017 – considered 77 attributes, which are then combined into an overall APEAL index score as measured on a 1,000-point scale.

Porsche received the highest index score of 884 points, allowing it to dominate the survey for the 13th time in a row. Only 15 points behind is Genesis at 869 points. Rounding up the top 5 were the big three German luxury carmakers -- BMW (855), Audi (854) and Mercedes-Benz (851).

A study commissioned by Hyundai Motor UK revealed that on average, women drivers were 12% angrier compared to their male counterparts.

The study was conducted by behavioral psychologist Patrick Fagan who hails from Goldsmiths, University London, a public research university well known for specializing in, among others, the social sciences. Fagan looked into 1,000 drivers from the U.K. in order to know how the different senses, sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch, could incite emotional responses with regards to certain driving conditions.

According to Fagan, psychologically, women scored higher when it comes to verbal and emotional intelligence compared to men. In addition, he added, women were also more likely to display the personality trait known as neuroticism. The study reveals that the bad temper women show can likely be traced back to the time when humans were hunters and gatherers.

Six of the 21 vehicles recognized for superior seating in this year’s edition of J.D. Power’s annual Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study were from Toyota Motor Corp. Coming back to the list were the Toyota 4Runner and Lexus RX, joined by the Tacoma, Tundra and Sequoia. The seat quality study assesses seating for carmakers and their suppliers and identifies three vehicles in each of seven vehicle segments.

The three vehicles having the least problems per 100 vehicles were included in the individual segment list. The seats on the Tacoma and Tundra were supplied by Avanzar Interior Technologies Ltd., while seating in the Scion iQ were made by Toyota Boshoku Corp.

Seats in the iQ were recognized for excellent seating in the compact car segment. J.D. Power’s annual Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study had new-vehicle owners to rate the quality of their vehicle seats and seat belts by having them identify defects, malfunctions or design issues encountered during the first 90 days of ownership.

Porsche topped the 2014 J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study in the United States, marking its dominance of the rankings for the second straight year. The 2014 Initial Quality Study is derived from feedback from over 86,000 buyers and lessees of MY2014 vehicles after 90 days of ownership.

Quality scores in the study are established by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles – lower scores indicates higher quality.

According to the survey, Porsche had 74 problems per 100 vehicles, improving from 80 problems in 2013. Jaguar surged to second this year from ninth in 2013, with owners experiencing 87 problems per 100 vehicles, an improvement from 104 problems per 100 cars in 2013.

The Hyundai-Kia group dominated this year’s J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study, after leading the auto industry in the United States in five segments. The leader last year, General Motors, led in six segments but fell to third place overall. Its wins include the Buick Encore, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Terrain and GMC Yukon.

While the Hyundai and Kia marques ranked fourth and sixth among brands, respectively, the group as a whole was able to surpass Toyota Motor Corp., which score was affected by its Scion brand. The Hyundai brand hiked its score by 12 points, while Kia was still 106.

Grabbing the wins for the Hyundai group were the Hyundai Accent, Elantra and Genesis as well as the Kia Cadenza and Sportage. The Ford brand was able to recover promptly to match the industry average.

Lexus’ five-year reign as the top ranked luxury brand in J.D. Power and Associates’ U.S. Customer Service Index Study has ended, with Cadillac taking the crown for this year. The survey gauges customer satisfaction with dealership service departments of respective brands. Lexus slid to No. 3 after being outscored by (872) and Audi (868).

Completing the top five luxury brands in the survey are Infiniti and Lincoln. Acura fell out of top five in 2013 and now ranked third from bottom, which is ruled by Volvo and Land Rover. On the other side of the survey, Buick came out on top of mainstream brands, scoring 835. It is followed by Volkswagen with score of 830.

GMC saw its score surge by 16 points, but it was not enough to stop its fall from first in 2013 to third this year. Completing the top 5 mainstream brands in the survey are Mini and Chevrolet. Still lurking at the bottom of this side of the poll are Dodge, Jeep and Ram, with the same spots as last year’s.

Among luxury brands, Lincoln Automotive Financial Services was at the top with a score of 875. Trailing behind Lincoln Automotive Financial Services is BMW Financial Services.

While captive finance firm beat banks and independent finance companies for the top spots in the ranking survey, several lenders weren’t ranked -- including some of the biggest-volume lenders in the United States -- due to small sample sizes. The study showed that 50 percent of costumers are most influenced by dealership recommendations on their choice of dealers.

Audi topped the premium brand ranking in J.D. Power and Associates' 2013 China Sales Satisfaction Index that was published last week. Audi got a score of 721, much higher than the premium market average of 665. Audi was also the only premium brand to have its results published in the survey.

The 2013 China Sales Satisfaction Index was based on surveys of 14,462 car owners who acquired vehicles from January to April 2013. The buyers were asked to rate their vehicle purchasing experience according to several factors like the delivery process, the initial contact, the deal, the dealership facility and the salesperson. The 47 mass-market brands and six luxury brands in the survey were rated separately since their buyers have different expectations.

On the other hand, topping the mass-market brand ranking in the index is Dongfeng Nissan, which scored 732 of maximum 1,000 points, compared to volume market average of 647. Dongfeng Nissan was followed by Beijing Hyundai with a score of 715. Dongfeng Citroen and Dongfeng Yueda Kia were tied at third with 703 each.

People who rent cars are much likely to acquire their own vehicles in the next 12 months than the general public, according to a survey conducted by R.L. Polk & Co. and commissioned by Enterprise Holdings, parent of the Enterprise, National and Alamo rental brands. The study shows that people who rent cars usually end up buying the brand they had rented instead of the one that is in their garage.

Kurt Kohler, senior vice president of North American fleet for Enterprise Holdings, remarked that the findings mean that rental fleets are a good way for carmakers to show off their vehicle products to potential buyers. The survey covered 45.9 million rentals by 23.9 million individuals between May 1, 2011, and April 30, 2012.

The study discovered that around 81 percent of the people who rented a non-luxury brand and eventually acquired that same brand were conquest sales. Overall, around 12 percent of respondents in the study acquired a vehicle in the next 12 months, compared with 8 percent of the general public. [source: CrainsDetroit]

General Motors has topped the latest J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Study, an annual survey that measures new-vehicle quality that is now on its 27th year. GM is the only carmaker that has less than one problem per car, as its all four brands averaged 98 problems per 100 vehicles surveyed. The US carmaker is followed by Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., both tied at second.

Each of the Japanese carmakers has 103 problems per 100 vehicles surveyed. GM has two brands -- GMC and Chevrolet -- barging into the top five of the latest J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Study. Topping all brands is Porsche, followed by GMC, Lexus, Infiniti and Chevrolet. Among vehicles themselves, the Lexus LS sedan that was redesigned for 2013, considered as the most trouble-free vehicle with 59 problems per 100 vehicles surveyed.

David Sargent, vice president of the global automotive practice at J.D. Power and author of the study, remarked that GM has the best quality of any carmaker in the survey, noting that it is the first time the US firm made it to the top. He also noted that GMC and Chevrolet have never finished in the top five before. Settling at the bottom of the survey are Scion and Mitsubishi.

Pure electric cars hold little appeal to consumers, according to a new study by the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. However, it determined that the market potential for plug-in hybrids is better. These include the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid and Ford C-Max Energi.

The researchers also said that the study "casts doubt” on the target of the Obama administration to have one million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015. The study determined that most consumers believe that the advantages are outweighed by the drawbacks.

Researchers discovered that there’s more interest in hybrid-electric vehicles, with a gasoline-powered backup engine, than in electric-only vehicles.

Ford Motor Credit Co. and its Lincoln Automotive Financial Services unit earned the top spots in the 2012 Consumer Financing Satisfaction Study of J.D. Power and Associates released last week. According to the study, Ford Credit ranked No. 1 in leasing among volume brands. Its Lincoln AFS unit, on the other hand, ranked No. 1 in luxury leases, besting Lexus Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and BMW Financial Services.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen Credit ranked No. 1 for volume brands in loans. Mercedes-Benz Financial Services ranked No. 1 for customer satisfaction with luxury loans. J.D. Power and Associates renewed the Consumer Financing Satisfaction Study after a four-year lull and revamped it for 2012. Among the modifications in the study include switching to an online survey format as well as switching to a single time frame for collecting surveys instead of conducting two surveys per year.

The 2012 Consumer Financing Satisfaction Study is based on 11,259 surveys from customers who bought or leased a new vehicle from June 2011 to May 2012. Lisa Stimac, account director for automotive finance at J.D. Power, remarked that the 2012 study ranks consumer satisfaction with auto lenders based on four main criteria that statistically have had the strongest correlation to overall satisfaction: billing and payment, interest rate/monthly payment, Web site and phone contact.

Nissan Motor Co. is planning to commission an independent global study of the batteries of its Leaf electric vehicle just to satisfy a small group of owners in Phoenix, Arizona, who claim their batteries are aging too fast. Despite its position that the Leaf’s lithium ion batteries pose no problems, Nissan has requested electric-car advocate and former General Motors marketing manager Chelsea Sexton to create a global group to probe independently of the Japanese carmaker.

Carla Bailo, Nissan's senior vice president of research and development, announced the move in an open letter published on the Leaf owner website, mynissanleaf.com. The letter said that the members of the study group would be Chelsea, not Nissan, and they would recommend their own mandate.

Nissan added that it hopes that the study would “hold up a mirror” to the carmaker and help it to be more open and approachable in its communication and to advise the company on its strategy.

Rounding up the top three is Beijing Hyundai, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co. and China's Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp., after scoring 891 points. According to the study results J.D. Power released this month, all of the carmakers scoring above the industry average of 841 points are joint ventures of global brands or imported global brands.

Domestic carmakers, however, could only match the industry average at best, with Chery scoring 841 points. All other domestic brands scored below the industry average.

Chevrolet did remarkably well at the recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study with three of its models getting top ranks in their segment. This is the most of any brand in this survey ever. The three Chevys in Power's 21 categories: include the Sonic for subcompact cars, Volt for compact cars and Avalanche for a big pickup.

J.D. Power said Porsche continued to dominate in the overall study, achieving first in other brands for its straight 8th year. This report stated that Dodge, Jaguar and Ram recorded that it got the largest year-over-year gains, raising their scores by 21, 20 and 19 points, respectively.

Chevy may have gotten three vehicles in "best of segment" territory but as a brand, it still falls behind the overall industry average of 788 points. Chevy's score got added three points (compared to last year)’s 777. J.D. Power said that the annual APEAL study examines how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive, based on owner evaluations of more than 80 vehicle attributes.

The brands that are most in demand by dealership groups have expanded. This also means that their blue sky values are increasing. Blue sky is the intangible value of a franchise and is expressed as a multiple of adjusted pretax income. A report from financial services firm Presidio Group came out last week.

It said that in 2011, the buyers’ interest in Audi, Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai and Nissan increased significantly. Alan Haig, who runs Presidio's automotive services, said that the interest is wider. From the Big 5 of most in-demand franchises composed of Toyota, Honda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, there is now the Big 10.

Haig said that Presidio has met with various dealership groups, which are hoping to be granted any of the Big 10 franchises. He said that the trend is changing. Instead of looking for the one perfect franchise, the groups are taking on an “omnivorous approach,” similar to what took place in the 1990s. He pointed out that several dealer groups have expressed an interest in both BMW and Kia – something that’s very unusual and “pretty profound.”

The dealer service departments of Lexus and Mini offer the best overall dealer service satisfaction, according to a new J.D. Power and Associates study. Customers are also more impressed with car dealerships compared to their nondealer competitors. In a statement, Chris Sutton, senior director at J.D. Power and Associates, said that overall dealer service satisfaction is higher when there are “steady improvements in vehicle quality, longer intervals between recommended service visits and a higher mix of maintenance service events.”

Sutton also said that to raise satisfaction with the purchase experience as well as the after-sales service, manufacturers and their dealers have established broad-based customer service improvement initiatives.

Under the latest J.D. Power's annual U.S. Customer Service Index study, the dealer service departments achieved an average of 787 points on a 1,000-point scale – higher by 19 points compared to the previous year. On the other hand, the nondealer facilities had an average of 749 points.

A new survey revealed that U.S. drivers are keeping their new automobiles to nearly six years, which is longer than ever. In the average, people are holding on to their new vehicles for 71.4 months, research firm Polk revealed citing data collected in September 2011. This is an increase of 4.7 months from March.

Both the rate of increase and the length of ownership set records for the study, which the research company first conducted in 2001. The data is a reflection of a growing reliability of new automobiles and the number of people hesitant from buying new vehicles due to the uncertainty of the economy in recent years.

The longer terms of ownership coupled with an automobile fleet already at a record-high age offer more business opportunities for automakers and their dealers, according to worldwide aftermarket practice leader Mark Seng at Polk. He explained that most of the older automobile repairs traditionally go to the independent aftermarket, but this is a chance for automakers to "get in on that as well."

Don’t you just love that “new car” smell? Here’s why you shouldn’t. A study was released by the Ecology Center, finding that some vehicle interiors have chemical levels that may be hazardous to the occupants' health. This nonprofit environmental group based in Ann Arbor, Mich., also ranked 204 vehicles for interior air quality in its 2012 Consumer Action Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Cars.

It’s a good thing if you drive a 2012 Honda Civic as its interior has the least amount of potentially toxic chemicals. It doesn’t have bromine-based flame retardants and uses PVC-free interior fabrics and interior trim. It also has low levels of heavy metals and other metal allergens.

On the other hand, the models that have the highest amounts of potentially toxic chemicals are the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, the 2011 Chrysler 200 SC and 2011 Kia Soul. Jeff Gearhart, research director for the Ecology Center, said that the concern about the range of chemicals in the car’s interiors is significant and is even increasing.